INCREASE OF INCOME LIMITATIONS ON NON-SERVICE- CONNECTED PENSIONS FOR WORLD WARS I AND II HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTY-SECOND CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H. R. 208, 310, 311, 312, 363, 947, 1061, 1078, BILLS SEEKING TO INCREASE INCOME LIMITATIONS PENSIONS FOR VETERANS AND WIDOWS OF WORLD WARS I AND II 83710 MAY 3, 4, AND 8, 1951 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs Pages of all hearings are numbered cumulatively to permit a comprehensive index at the FIBRARY & Coates. Page number. MAY 2 8 1951 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1951 82-1H 1586 CONTENTS Page Allen, Hon. A. Leonard___ 437, 518-522, 538-539, 543-568, 573-576, 579-581 American Legion: Olson, C. H.. Stevens, Charles W. AMVETS: Slayman, Charles H. Birdsall, Guy H. (See Veterans' Administration.) Devereux, Hon. James P. S. 538-539, 546-548 539-546 563-564 446, 540 538, 561-563 546-548, 550, 557, 559, 563-564, 567, 574, 579-580 Disabled American Veterans: Foster, Charles E. Dyess, Dr. William B. (See Veterans' Administration.) Foster, Charles E. (See Disabled American Veterans.) Income limitation: Cost of increase. Date established.. 539-544 563-564 455-510 448-510 520-521, 540, 542, 548-549, 555-559, 562, 567, 573-574, 576, 581 519-520, 538, 549-551, 553–554, 559, 562, 564-567, 573, 576-579 521, 561-563 DAV, position thereon Medical and burial expenses, exclusion of 561-563 520, 539-542, 547-548, 559, 565, 567, 573–581 Parents.. 518-521, 538-541, 553-554, 558-559, 565-566, 573, 576 Rogers, Hon. Edith Nourse. 521-522, 538, 544, 546-548, 551, 554, 556, 559, 579 Rogers, Hon. Walter.. Rowan, Ida, committee clerk. Slayman, Charles H. (See AMVETS.) Birdsall, Guy H., Assistant Administrator for Legislation. Boliek, L. E. 518-522, 538, 564-565, 567, 572-574, 579-581 Dyess, Dr. William B., statistician, Claims Service. Veterans' benefits: Cost in relation to national income. Veterans of Foreign Wars: Ketchum, Omar B.. 565, 567, 573 538, 559, 565-567 549-551 548-560, 562-564, 575-576, 579–580 552-553, 555-559 III INCREASE OF INCOME LIMITATIONS ON NON-SERVICECONNECTED PENSIONS FOR WORLD WARS I AND II THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1951 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON H. R. 310 OF THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10 a. m., Hon. A. Leonard Allen (chairman) presiding. Mr. ALLEN. The subcommittee will come to order. We are meeting this morning to consider legislation which seeks to increase the income limitations now applicable to veterans and their dependents who are eligible for non-service-connected pension. The present limit is $1,000 for a veteran without dependents or a widow without children, and $2,500 for a widow with children or a veteran with dependents. Certain exclusions such as income derived from Government life insurance are made in determining annual income. During the Eighty-first Congress, the first pension bill, H. R. 2681, would have increased the income limitation to $2,000 in the case of single veterans and widows without children, and $3,000 for those with dependents. This bill, however, you will recall, was recommitted to this committee by a one-vote majority, and in reporting H. R. 4617, the second pension bill, the income limitation was increased only to $1,200 for veterans without dependents and widows without children. The $2,500 limitation remained unchanged. Twelve bills which seek, in one way or another, to increase the income limitation, have been introduced on this subject and are pending before the committee. Without objection, I will insert these bills in the record at this point as well as the Veterans' Administration report on H. R. 310, which is generally applicable to all the bills and also a table furnished by the Veterans' Administration showing the consumers' price index, 1929 to 1950, as well as the average gross weekly earnings in manufacturing for the same period. Also, if there is no objection, I will include in the record at this point a table of costs prepared by the Veterans' Administration showing the cost of enacting this legislation. I believe also that several tables published by the Department of Commerce and the Bureau of the Census showing the marital status of persons and the distribution of families, of State income payments for the year 1949 will be helpful to our discussion. I, therefore, will insert this material in the record at this point if there is no objection; 437 |